About Dr. Robins

Robins is chair of the Systemic Hypothermia Oncological working group, an international cooperative effort that conducts wide-ranging clinical trials. Much of his work is in the field of neuro-oncology, including development of protocols for treatment.

He was the principal investigator for various cooperative group protocols, including the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG), the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) and the North American Brain Tumor Consortium (NABTC).

Cooperation within the medical community is imperative when it comes to cancer research. And no one knows that better than H. Ian Robins, M.D., from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine.

Mesothelioma Treatment

His work as an investigator is extensive and spans a myriad of disciplines. He works with patients involving mesothelioma, and other non-small cell lung cancers. He also has been involved with research involving breast cancer, malignant melanoma, systemic hyperthermia, low-grade lymphomas and sarcomas.

Robins is both a professor at the University of Wisconsin and a staff member of the Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics, within the Department of Oncology. A graduate of Boston University Medical School, Robins came to Wisconsin first for an internship and fellowship. He also completed a fellowship at Carbone Comprehensive Cancer Center.

He is board certified in both Internal Medicine and Medical Oncology. His articles and results of his trials have been published in The New England Journal of Medicine, the Journal of American Oncology and the European Journal of Cancer.

Research and Writing

Among his articles are: “A Phase I study of gemcitabine, plus palliative radiation therapy for advanced lung cancer” and “Temozolomide as prophylaxis for brain metastasis in non-small cell lung.” He wrote “Therapeutic advances in malignant glioma: current status and future prospects,” which examines the concepts of pseudoprogression and pseudoresponse, new imaging correlates.

Robins also was the lead writer of “Late recurrences of histiocytic lymphoma after treatment,” in Cancer. It detailed some unusual cancer cases. Although disease-free intervals of two to three years after treatment are normally considered cures, he examined cases of recurrence that included 25, 10, 9 and 6 years, respectfully. The potential biological significance was discussed.

Robins was part of a collaborative effort by the North American Brain Tumor Consortium that examined the question of surgery as a prognostic marker for progression-free survival. The group examined two sets of data that included more than 750 patients. What it found was that results for patient with and without surgical intervention at the time of progression were similar.

He recently was involved in a review of low-molecular-weight heparins that produced favorable therapeutic results in various oncological patient populations. The topics addressed included prophylaxis and treatment.